christiangamer

You may have heard about this, you may not have.  Chances are if you’ve ever played World of Warcraft or any other online game and liked it then you at least know about a variety of “free” online games that exist.  You may have even tried a few.  You may have tried a few only to learn after that extremely large download and installation process exactly why it might be free.  Don’t get me wrong there are a few of these free online games I have tried and liked; but only a few.  They typically just don’t have the production values of a pay to play game like WoW or Lord of the Rings Online.

Enter Free Realms; which has definitely bucked the trend.  Now this is a preview of sorts rather than a review, as I am just getting started.  But I can already see some things that I love about the game, and a few things that I like…  Here’s the launch trailer:

So that’s the video that Sony Online Entertainment want you to see.  Is it really fun?  Is it really free?  Is it safe for kids?  I am on a quest to find those things out.  In my limited time with the game so far I think the fun and safe questions can be answered fairly positively yes.  The game is pretty fun; even for this old guy.  Safe for kids – well so far I haven’t seen anything terribly offensive, and you can bet that I am watching carefully.  Some parents might be turned off by the bare midriffs their kid’s female character can opt for.  Some parents might be concerned about the fantasy creatures and monsters and the use of magic.

So far my only real concern with the game is it’s not really totally free – but anyone who has let their kids play Webkinz knows how that works.  There isn’t any software to buy but they still make money (and indeed – they probably have to make money to make the game happen).  There is a premium membership you can buy for 4.99 a month (really cheap for an online game) and you can purchase special items in a shop for the in-game currency that you buy with real money.  I really don’t have any problems with SOE making money off of the game; I have heard that they are a bit misleading in their approach – but am withholding judgment until I see for myself.

And I will see for myself!  I plan on playing a lot in the coming weeks and trying out many aspects of the game.  If you see Kade Wolfrune running around in the game stop by and say hello!